An eBay Rant

For the past few years, I've had a major issue with eBay. Not with the site itself, although there are plenty of those kinds of issues. No. My issue with eBay is with the sellers. While I do not begrudge anyone from attempting to make a quick buck by selling on eBay, what I do mind is the erroneous use of the word 'vintage' and 'retro' on eBay.

The dictionary defines vintage as: a period of origin or manufacture.

In everday use, this means items, clothing or furniture from a particular period of time. Or, antique. In other words, old.

My personal definition of vintage is anything from a particular period of time (or decade) that may not always be all that old or antiques. There are things that are vintage 1990's but I do not consider them to be antiques or even remotely old.

To illustrate my point, try searching eBay for vintage platform shoes. Sure, you will turn up several pairs of platform shoes (and most of the time not really even platforms but that is a rant best saved for another time). However, not all of the listings are vintage platform shoes. More often than not, you will see listing after listing of those costume pimp style platform shoes. Again, I don't mind these sellers listing these and trying to sell them. What I do mind is the use of the word 'vintage' in their listing. These are NOT vintage platform shoes! How in the Hell can they call something vintage if that item is currently being manufactured? Sorry kids, but such items are not 'vintage' items. I would say that they fall into the 'retro' category. If you really want a vivid illustration, try doing a search for 70s Disco. That will turn up a plethora of those stupid costumes, wigs and just about everything else you can think of. And lo and behold, several of those listings will also have the word 'vintage' in them.

Then there is the word 'retro'. Again the dictionary definition of the word 'retro' is: Involving, relating to, or reminiscent of things past; retrospective.

To me, that means, things that are made in such a fashion as to reflect the style or look of particular period of time but are not (nor will they ever be) 'vintage' items.

Those stupid costume listings are 'retro' things. Not 'vintage'. I really wish people would learn the difference. I get really sick of seeing 'retro' things listed as 'vintage' and vice versa. Believe me, I'm sick and tired of trying to find the genuine vintage 70s items while having to scroll through pages of useless retro things just to get to the good stuff.

In fact, it would please me even more if the people at eBay regulated these 'retro' listings to the eBay Stores section. Especially since 99% of them are not even auctions but 'Buy It Now' items. Why clutter up the really good vintage listings with this junk? And make no mistake about it. Those costume things are just junk. If I never see another stupid 70s afro wig listed as vintage, it will be too soon. It would even be a Godsend if these sellers actually learned to list their items for what they really are instead of what they think (or wish) that they were. Junk is junk.

It used to be really fun to shop eBay when it first started. 90% of the items listed there were actual vintage or antique items. Then, slowly things began to change. More and more people began flooding eBay with brand new itmes. It began to be more of a left overs or factory seconds store. Kind of like a Big Lots instead of a really great big garage sale. True, with the advent of the eBay Stores section, more and more sellers were listing their vintage or antique items as a 'Buy It Now' item. I think that this happened because the actual auction listings were flooded with garbage and folks just weren't able to find the good treasures anymore. I know these days, I prefere to 'Buy It Now' if I can. I just don't have the patience or the time to look through 25 pages of platform shoes just to find the 10-15 piars of genuine 70s platforms shoes that are listed amongst all of the junky retro crap.

Don't get me wrong. There are still great vintage auction listings to be found, but you have to really search for them. Trying to fliter out the junk and often filter out the good stuff too since seller just seem to throw around those great little buzz words like 'vintage' and 'retro'. They really like to throw 'retro' around with the word 'new' as well. Heads up people, that is a dead giveaway that the itme you are looking at is a 100% brand new item and is in no way vintage, antique or old. It may look vintage, but it is not. It all goes back to that old saying. Buyer beware.

I guess I've been taken in less by some of these shady sellers because I really know the period for which I shop. Doing some research really helps making sure that I don't get taken or fooled into believing that say, a swag lamp, is vintage 70s when in fact it's a replica from Finger Hut.

I just wish that eBay did a little bit more to keep these sellers a bit more honest. Or at the very least, make sure that they are listing their times accurately.

Finally, these sellers need to really, really, really learn what a platform shoe is and stop listing pumps as platform shoes. Platform shoes have platforms on the toe. At least a half inch or more. God, what a concept! Platform shoes with an actual platform. Imagine that!

And stop with this 'vintage retro' type of listing. An item cannot be both vintage and retro. Vintage retro? So, what it's vintage 2008 and retro 70s? Sorry, but that is just stupid and shows a complete lack of understanding as to what the item really is. It's either vintage or it's retro. It can't be both.